"Alright! So that means all of us here are going to take on the Red Dragon! From here on, it's strategy meeting time!" (Anemoi)
Anemoi, the Dungeon Master, crisply pointed at the World Gate interworld portal.
I asked the overly excited her…
"Hey, Anemoi." (Eugene)
"What is it, Eugene?" (Anemoi)
"This interworld portal… How long will it wait for us?" (Eugene)
"Eh?" (Anemoi)
Anemoi blinked in confusion.
"If we take our time planning and the gate closes, that'd be bad, right?" (Eugene)
"Uh, umm. W-Well… hmm, how should I say it… I think it'll last for about a day…" (Anemoi)
She sounded uncertain.
Someone who might know more about this would be…
"Rita-chan, you know?" (Claude)
Claude asked in my place.
"Hmm, I think it's around 12 hours-ssu ka ne? You know, Eri-senpai?" (Rita)
"Yes. I think that's about right." (Eri)
"Hey, Anemoi." (Eugene)
"W-What!? I was mostly right!" (Anemoi)
Anemoi snapped her eyes wide open and fired back loudly before I could complain.
…24 hours and 12 hours are very different though.
…thud
While we were having that conversation, a small angel fluttered down right in front of us.
"Unfortunately, you don't have the luxury of taking that long. Decide on your strategy and depart within an hour."
Mother looked around at all of us and said in a stern tone.
"Um… Why is that, Laila-sama?" (Sara)
Sara asked hesitantly.
"We're…being watched." (Laila)
Mother looked up at the ceiling of the dungeon.
I followed her gaze.
There was no one there.
(No… She's looking toward…the Divine Realm?) (Eugene)
"This Trial of the Gods already has Freya, the Wood Goddess, interfering. The other divine clans are probably watching too. It's best not to dawdle." (Eri)
—— "And in addition to that, I'm sensing gazes from Hell and even from the Outer Universe. A lot more attention than expected." (Loki)
I heard the murmuring of the Demon God.
"Eh? Seriously?" (Eri)
Even Eri looked surprised.
"Unfortunately so. Which is why you should depart quickly. This World Gate is far too powerful for mortals. If word gets out about a broken, unfair method of using it, invaders from other worlds would come flooding in." (Laila)
Mother warned sharply.
"…Egh." (Anemoi)
Anemoi's face twisted as she trembled.
"But if strong people aim for the Zenith Tower, isn't that fine? Even for you, Anemoi?" (Eugene)
I voiced the thought, but…
"You're so naive, Eugene. Anyone who wants to take advantage of the Zenith Tower isn't going to clear it properly." (Eri)
"She's right. They'd probably kill the Dungeon Master first and seize control of the Zenith Tower. It actually happened in another world, remember?" (Laila)
"Which one was it? The planet Laila-senpai and I were investigating, right?" (Eri)
Eri and Mother spoke terrifying things as if it were normal.
When I looked at Anemoi, she was pale and shaking violently.
"Well then, let's just go." (Eugene)
I patted Anemoi's head.
"W-We're leaving already!? What about mental preparation!?" (Airi)
Airi looked panicked.
"Eugy-kun! Do you need my mana!?" (Sumire)
Sumire already had an eager expression.
She just decided to stay instead of returning to her original world, yet she switched gears instantly.
"Thanks. I'm counting on you, Sumire. But there are a few things we need to confirm first. Eri, from here on, it's okay to talk about going back to the past, right?" (Eugene)
"Ugh… The gazes got stronger. Well, whatever. They'll find out anyway." (Eri)
Eri scratched her cheek.
"We're going to use the World Gate to go back three years… to the day the Red Dragon destroyed the Lykeion Magic Academy and the Dungeon City. When that happens, there'll be two of us…past us and present us. Is that going to be a problem?" (Eugene)
"Of course it's a problem. Two Eugenes means a time paradox, and space will distort. One of the Eugenes will probably get flung into another world." (Eri)
"That's…bad." (Eugene)
That would defeat the purpose of going back.
"But that won't happen. The miracle magic placed on the World Gate is adjusted to prevent time paradoxes. If you pass through normally, most likely only your memories will return to three years ago." (Laila)
"That defeats the point of all our training!" (Airi)
Airi protested at Mother's explanation.
Airi was right.
That would be meaningless.
The war might be stopped, but the Dungeon City's destruction wouldn't.
"What does the Demon God think?" (Eugene)
I asked.
The plan to redo history through the World Gate was the Demon God's idea.
—— "Well, I'll handle that part for you. If I tweak the World Gate's miracle a bit, you can go back while keeping your stats." (Loki)
"…That completely breaks the Divine Regulations… I'm not hearing this, I'm not hearing this." (Laila)
Mother averted her eyes and muttered quietly.
She was probably going to overlook it.
I hope no penalties fall on her for doing so.
—— "Now then, I'd love to help you out…but who's going to pay the price for it?" (Loki)
This time the Demon God asked a question.
(Well… I knew this was coming.) (Eugene)
She already told us that to borrow her power to guide us, a "wish" and a "price" were necessary.
…Like with Principal Uther.
"Then I—" (Eugene)
Before I finished speaking…
"Hey, wait, Eugene."
Claude cut me off.
"What are—?" (Eugene)
"I'll pay the price. Is that fine with you, Demon God-sama?" (Claude)
Claude declared strongly.
—— "Hoh, you huh. Not bad." (Loki)
The Demon God sounded amused.
"Claude! You don't underst—" (Eugene)
"You're our biggest combat power against the Red Dragon. You can't be paying prices right now." (Claude)
Claude held up a hand to stop me as I approached him.
"Well then, Demon God-sama. My wish is to return to three years ago with our current strength…and I'll pay the price. Please grant it." (Claude)
A bead of sweat ran down Claude's cheek.
(What is the Demon God going to demand…?) (Eugene)
We waited for her answer.
—— "Hmm, then I'll just make the price…payable later." (Loki)
"""""Eh?"""""
Everyone shouted in surprise.
"W-Wait, is that even allowed-ssu ka?" (Rita)
Rita voiced all our questions.
—— "Well, if I take the price now and your fighting strength drops, you might not beat the Red Dragon, right? So payment afterward is fine." (Loki)
"I-I see…" (Claude)
Claude looked relieved…as if he had been prepared to lose at least one arm.
—— "Anyway, I'm ready anytime on my end. Are the rest of you prepared?" (Loki)
I looked toward my friends.
Sumire.
Sara.
Claude.
Airi.
No one's expressions held any hesitation.
"We're ready. Anytime." (Eugene)
—— "Good. Then I'll adjust the World Gate. Let's make it one day before the Red Dragon's arrival. That'll give you time to plan. If I send you too far back, the divine authorities might erase the World Gate entirely for interfering too much with history." (Loki)
As soon as she said it, the golden light of the World Gate turned black.
It morphed into a gate emitting ominous black light.
"…Uh." (Sumire)
"…This is…" (Sara)
"…Is it safe to step inside?" (Airi)
Sumire, Sara, and Airi all looked frightened.
"Demon God-sama… Couldn't you have…maybe…made the appearance a little less scary?" (Claude)
Claude asked on behalf of all of us.
It was his request that caused this, after all.
—— "H-Huh? Is the…reception bad?" (Loki)
The Demon God sounded a little sad.
"Well, we'll understand once we go in." (Eugene)
I patted Claude's shoulder.
"…Yeah, I guess so." (Claude)
Claude seemed to steady himself.
"Alright, let's go." (Eugene)
I checked Sumire and the others' faces.
They all nodded slightly.
"We're off." (Eugene)
I looked at Eri, Mother, and the Dungeon Master.
Then I stepped into the ominously glowing World Gate.
And like that, I transferred to the past world.